Richard Rogers,, age 10, of Spokane, Wash, for his questions

Where are borax deposits Found?

Borax is a mineral which sometimes forms when the water dries out from a salty sea or lake. It is a salt called sodium borate and if the dried out lake or sea is washed with rain it soon dissolves and disappears with the running water, For this reason we find borax deposits only in dry desert regions which were once the floors of salty seas or lakes.

The purest borax deposits are found in the wide Mojave desert of California. There are also deposits in Death Valley, Searles Lake and Owens Lake, also in California. In other countries there are borax deposits 3n Chile, Italy, Turkey and Tibet.